first spring questions
 

Hi Folks,

First post but I've been lurking for a while.
I got the banana bug last year and put in several musa basjoo that have started pushing out new growth in the last week.
I also put in 2 Cali Golds and 2 Goldfinger both of which are supposed to be somewhat cold hardy. They haven't shown any signs of life yet but the p-stems look nice and solid. My question is how good an indication is that they will be ok?
We had a nasty winter with lows down to the high single digits F but I had em mulched real well with a tarp over em. The forcast looks like we are out of the woods and after a few more days with highs in the 60's it looks like 70's till summer.
I'll take a stab at posting some pics.

basjoo from a large pup someone gave me


basjoo from a 4" pot purchased on ebay


one of the others I got off ebay, not sure which




Dave

Re: first spring questions
 

Lookin fantastic! Basjoos taking off already, should do some serious growing for you this season. If the stems on your caligold and goldfinger feel solid, corms are most likely solid also and should eventually send pups up. Way to go

Re: first spring questions
 

Thanks,

I guess that makes sense that if the p-stems are solid, at a minimum the corms should be ok. I guess I'll just leave em alone and be patient.

Dave

Re: first spring questions
 

Time for a follow up post
Looks like the cold winter did everything in but the basjoo, they just keep rockin and rollin
Here's a picture of my "pick of the litter"



Now I have a couple of ensete glaucom growing in pots.



That's Japanese Beetle damage on the basjoo behind them
I don't think they can make it outside in winter so I'm plotting how I'm going to overwinter them (I know, it's kinda early for that)
This year they may be able to stay active in pots but in future they'll have to go dormant. My problem is where to keep them. I don't have a crawl space and I fear the garage gets too cold. I have a basement but we keep it in the low 60s F. Will I be able to keep them there?
I might could keep them cut back down there under grow lights but I was really thinking something like this dry storage method

Overwintering ensetes dry part 1 - YouTube

anyway, just planning and having fun
here's another random garden shot just for fun



we're living on tomato sandwiches these days:nanadrink:

Re: first spring questions
 

another month and this thing is huge
p-stem looks fat too, maybe it'll flower :08:

Re: first spring questions
 

Wow congrats what a beauty. Im sorry I missed the last update. Why do you think the other basjoos won't make it outdoors over winter?

Re: first spring questions
 

WOW!!!:woohoonaner:

Re: first spring questions
 

I guess the way I typed that didn't make sense
it's the ensete I don't think can take it outside
I'm confident the basjoo can take anything Carolina can throw at it
I had a Cali-gold and a Goldfinger last year, both supposed to be somewhat cold tolerant, and neither made it even heavily mulched but they were first year plants and we got to single digits F once or twice. still got about 5 feet

for the ensete I've been inspired by this guy

Pics of putting 12-14' Ensete bananas to bed for winter, zone 4. - Banana Forum - GardenWeb

simply awe inspiring

Re: first spring questions
 

Wow! Thanks for sharing! I planted a basjoo in my yard for the first time this year, looking forward to seeing it return next spring. I'm also in 8a, northeast Georgia. Though I hate to tell you, I had some friends lose a basjoo that had been in their landscape for nearly 10 years. This was one of the coldest winters I've ever experienced in the Dirty South!

Re: first spring questions
 

I was inspired to get started with bananas by a guy whose house I drive by every day. He had basjoo and last year just cut the leave off em and left 5 ft p-stems unprotected. They came through like champs.
Like you said, it was a particularly tough winter and I guess us cool weather folks (can't call it cold after what I see folks in zone 5 do) can always loose in a really bad one. I guess what I really meant to say is if basjoo can't take it nothing is.